Feria de las Flores

The fair runs for about ten days at the start of August and takes over the whole city, but the event that defines it is the silletero parade. Silleteros are flower growers from Santa Elena, the hill district above Medellin, who carry their arrangements on a silleta, the wooden frame once used to haul produce, and sometimes people, up the mountain. The largest arrangements weigh more than the person underneath them, and the growers who carry them are often the third or fourth generation of the same family to do it. Around it sit a classic car parade, a large horse parade and open-air concerts across the city.

What you actually see

• The silletero parade - growers carrying flower frames on their backs through the city.
• Santa Elena's flower farms - the hillside smallholdings where the silletas are built.
• The classic car parade - restored vehicles through the centre earlier in the week.
• Neighbourhood concerts - free stages set up across the city during the fair.

When to go

The fair falls in the first half of August and the silletero parade is on the final Sunday, which is the day to plan everything around. Hotels fill and rates rise well in advance. The parade starts in the morning and takes hours to pass; a grandstand seat is worth the cost unless you are prepared to stand three deep from dawn.

Honest expectations

The city is at its most crowded and most expensive during the fair, and traffic on parade days is unmanageable. The silletero parade is genuinely impressive but involves many hours of standing in strong sun. The rest of the programme is uneven and heavy on sponsored concerts. August is also a wet month here, and rain has interrupted the parade before.

Nearby

Santa Elena is 45 minutes above the city and its flower farms can be visited year-round.